Billy Chong
(Wily Dozan | Chuang Chen-Li)
- Super Power
- Crystal Fist
- Deru Debu
- Blackbelt Karate
- Pendakar Liar
- Rio Sang Juara
- Invincible Iron Monkey
- Kung Fu Executioner
- A Hard Way To Die
- Kung Fu Zombies
- A Fist Full Of Talons
- Kung Fu From Beyond The Grave
Biography
A superb martial-artist and one of those rare talents, that could use both hands and feet, with equal precision. Early in his career, he was compared to Jackie Chan, because he started gaining attention after Jackie hit it big with Snake In The Eagle's Shadow. The Yuen Clan choreographed him in The Crystal Fist, where he wore an identical outfit as Jackie did (in Snake In the Eagle's Shadow), except in color. It seemed that Yuen Woo-Ping was trying to say, "Give me the right actor, I can teach anyone to do what Jackie did" - and he could. In a strange twist-of-fate, most of the credit seemed to fall on Jackie, (and not Yuen) for the film's success.
(From what we could see) he didn't really made a bad film and he was in the position that Jet Li is in today (as far as the height of popularity is concerned). He reminds me more of Jet without the strings. I would have loved to see him star in a "Period-piece" film, such as Rebellious Reign or in a villainous role (such as the part Whang In-Sik had in A Fistful Of Talons). With what amounted to a cameo in the film Aces Go Places 5, he was said to have stormed off the set, after an argument with the films' choreographer - Liu Chia Liang. What a shame, as anyone who has seen Operation Scorpio, knows what Liu can do with someone who has talent. Coming from a wealthy family, he left the movie business (supposedly), because he didn't want to pay the Triads protection-money.
Regardless of the comparisons, he established a following, that has stayed around longer than he has. Films such as Super Power and A Hard Way To Die, gave him a solid foundation and his films only got better. He possessed the speed and precision, that many were looking for in a kung-fu star. In 1979 until around 1982, his popularity actually rivaled that of Jackie's. Here was the guy, that they should have been hawking as the next Bruce Lee. Though he was not much of an acrobat (nor was Lee), his films still managed to capture the essence of kung-fu, with some excellent displays of skill.
Since he left the Hong Kong film industry, he has appeared in Commercials (an ad for Shoes), a popular television series Deru Debu and starred in numerous films in his homeland, where he is (still) quite popular. I received the film - Rio Sang Juara (Rio the Champion) from Indonesia, where he plays a Boxer and you only catch a glimpse of those kicks in a street brawl. Reports of his marriage to pop star Betharia Sonata being on the rocks, then an attempted reconciliation between the two, have led to much gossip in the Indonesian press. He was also contemplating a comeback at one time, but he seems to be happy, being a star on his side of the globe.